Every year, guidelines concerning the legality of fireworks are set out – and sure as hell they are hardly ever followed.

Although 12 public areas have been made available for those in Cape Town to responsibly celebrate firework-related festivals, including Guy Fawkes, Diwali, and New Year’s Eve, you can be sure that many rogue fireworks will be sighted around the peninsula.

The City of Cape Town’s JP Smith says:

Over the years this has cut down the number of injuries and fires because when you don’t do this, you have people discharging fireworks all over the place causing bushfires.

…and people who are concerned over their pets’ ears.

First off, children under the age of 16 are not permitted to discharge fireworks and the cut-off time is 11pm (except, of course, for New Year’s Eve.)

Here are the following sites that have been permitted as safety zones:

• Tourism Centre, Athens Road, Table View beachfront (Killarney Racetrack is being considered as an alternative site for New Year’s Eve)
• Wesfleur sports field, Reygersdal Drive, Atlantis
• Bishop Lavis sports field, Lavis Drive, Bishop Lavis
• Metropolitan sports grounds, Melkhout Street, Bonteheuwel
• Delft Central sports grounds, Main Road, Delft
• Swartklip sports complex, Swartklip Road, Mitchells Plain
• Athlone Stadium parking area (eastern side), Klipfontein Road, Athlone
• Maiden’s Cove parking area, Victoria Road, Camps Bay
• Strandfontein Pavilion, Strandfontein
• Sarepta sports complex
• Blue Downs sports field
• Macassar Beach parking area, Macassar Road, Macassar

Man, I remember running wild with whatever arsenal I could find on Fish Hoek Beach and it was so much fun, albeit dangerous.

Oh well, I guess this is what comes with living in a DA-run province – but all I ask is that you PLEASE take your rubbish away with you once you are done having fun. This is just not on:

[source:ewn]